HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF UNSANITARY CONDITION IN PERI-URBAN INTERFACE

FOCUS ON APETE COMMUNITY, IBADAN, OYO STATE

Abstract

Water and sanitation refers to the public health condition relating to clean potable water and adequate treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to every human being. Every year, millions of people die from disease caused by inadequate water supply, poor sanitation and unhygienic environment. Poor sanitation and unsafe water cause nearly 20% of deaths in Nigeria. This study appraises water and sanitation situation in Apete Community, Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State, with a view to proffer proactive solutions to the menace. The objectives pursued are to examine the existing water supply situation and environmental sanitation practice in Apete; identify the different sources of water available; examine the diseases that are prevalent in the study area and recommend appropriate ameliorative measures. The research adopted simple random sampling technique to administer 400 pieces of questionnaires to respondents that were selected from the total number of 17,275 people in the study area while IBM SPSS 20 was used to analyze the data collected. The paper is anchored on the concepts of Conjunctive Water Use and Healthy City. The findings revealed that the inhabitants of the study area suffered from various infections and diseases ranging from cholera, typhoid and tetanus as a result of inadequate water supply and unhealthy sanitation practices. The study concluded that unsanitary environment is a threat to human survival, hence all efforts must be on deck to tackle this menace.